CMJ 2012: Hundred Waters

Wednesday, 11 p.m. @ Mercury Lounge

Experimental pop band Hundred Waters's music sounds like something bubbling up from a desolate swamp, alive with chirps, croaks, and melodies sweet as birdsongs. They use a number of synths and samplers to craft this finely textured sound.

One artist who doesn't really spring to mind when listening to Hundred Waters, is Skrillex. But he's now responsible for the most famous and incongruous bullet point in their biography, having signed them to his OWSLA label and brought them along on his Full Flex Express Tour. As their enthusiastically received set (the most well-attended of the night, by far, that I saw) to a packed room at the Mercury Lounge attested, though, they're beginning to generate some well-deserved buzz on their own merits.

Approximate amount of time during which Nicole Miglis sounds like a particularly mellifluous bird: 85%

Stage banter: Minimal to non-existent

Least expected instrument: Flute, hand-held xylophone (tie)

Electronics to percussion ratio: 3:2 or 2:3, depending on the song

Where's the drop? N/A

Crowdpleaser: The booming, energetic climax of closing number "Gather"